


Explosions

by i_live_in_the_reylo_moon



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Ahch-To, Confusion, F/M, Fighting, Gen, Knights of Ren - Freeform, Luke has no chill, Rescue, Serious Injuries, Slow Burn, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-26
Updated: 2017-03-25
Packaged: 2018-10-10 17:49:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10443582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_live_in_the_reylo_moon/pseuds/i_live_in_the_reylo_moon
Summary: The Knights of Ren are on Ahch-to and they're hunting down Rey.  Can she survive them and their Master?





	

o-o-o-o-o

Rey’s feet slip and slide in the mud as she runs uphill. Her lungs are burning and her legs are screaming with exhaustion as she wills herself on. To keep going. To just keep running.

She chances a quick glance back over her shoulder to see the six dark figures keeping pace with her despite their robes and armour, and the head start she had. They serve to spur her on, propelling her faster up the mountainside.

The rain is beating down, making the earth sloppy underfoot, loosing her grip now would guarantee certain capture, if not death. The night air is heavy and raging with the storm that seemed to arrive alongside the Knights of Ren. Dark clouds, howling winds, rumbles of thunder and flashes of lightening engulf the island.

Rey keeps running, keeps breathing. Keeps hoping. Hoping to get back to Master Skywalker in time for him to join her in fighting off the Knights. But the weather-beaten stone huts seem so far away from where she’s been training at the water’s edge, that she can’t stop the thread of fear from creeping into her mind.

After Chewie and R2-D2 had left, taking the Falcon with them and leaving her with the Jedi Master two months ago it left the rocky outcrop that serves as a landing pad empty. So Rey selected it as the perfect place to practice with her staff, especially as her mentor had refused to train her in combat, meaning she was forced to train by herself. Spending her time swinging her staff around just how she remembered from Jakku, but also adding a few moves from her memories of her lightsaber battle with Kylo Ren back on Starkiller Base.

It is then that Rey realizes that Kylo Ren is noticeably absent from her ardent pursuers. It makes her heart leap into her throat. Is he already with Master Skywalker? Are they already engaged in a battle of uncle versus nephew? Her pulse races a little bit faster. 

Se reaches a flat bit of land, but the earth has turned into thick clogging mud that it sucks her boots in. Her thighs and calves ache as she urges herself forward, toward the steps. Another look back and she finds that they’re on her. 

Now she must fight. 

Rey swings her staff toward the nearest knight, it connects with their shoulder, and there’s enough power behind it that they stagger. But there’s six of them and only one of her. Outnumbered, outweapon-ed and fearfully out of luck.

The sound of electricity crackles through the air as an electofied pike is switched on. Rey’s heart skips a beat as she waves her staff in front of her, trying to keep them back as she backs toward the steps through the sucking and squelching mud.

‘Accept your fate girl.’ One of the masked warriors sneers, their voice altered by the mask that they wear disguising their gender.

Rey’s gasping for breath, her eyes wide and rain is soaking her to the bone. She looks at the Knights, fearing the end. An end to a life she never envisioned having. A life outside of the desolate wasteland of Jakku. A life without scavenging. A life without servitude to a creature who enjoyed the power he wielded over her. A life she was finally beginning to live rather than merely exist within.

More electrified weapons burst into life and Rey gulps before taking a shuddering breath. This really is it. Her only weapon is the staff held out in front of her between her two trembling hands. Master Skywalker took the lightsaber off her on her arrival and hid it away. Her grasp on the Force is still minimal, and her training with the legendary Jedi has resulted in meditation and elevation techniques, but she’d never tried it on a living thing, just rocks.

With her mind temporarily distracted she doesn’t notice the Knight with the pike advance until its nearly too late. She just about manages to deflect the shot, thankful that the Resistance had re-enforced her staff to withstand lightsabers and electrified weaponry. But it doesn’t stop the vibration of the hit shaking her arms almost violently.

Things become a blur as she swings her staff, deflecting hits and landing one or two of her own. She’s on the defense and being outnumbered gives a distinct disadvantage. So much so that she doesn’t notice one of the Knights sneak behind her. 

Her legs are taken from beneath her with a wild swing of an electric spear, burning her bare skin and making her yelp in surprise and pain, as she lands in a heap in the mud, her staff tumbling from her grasp.

Rey has just enough time to shift to see an electrified club being lifted above the head of one of the Knights, fully with the intention of landing a killer blow, when a fiery red burst breaks through the Knights chest and he screeches with pain.

The lightsaber blade is ripped back out and the Knight falls, dead. Rey looks at them before her eyes dart up to the man in black towering over her. Her mouth falls open in shock and fear as she looks up at Kylo Ren. But his mask is not tilted in her direction. No he’s looking at his Knights.

It’s an eerily strange stand off. One Rey cannot understand. He is their Master, they are his subordinates but the tension emitting between them is almost choking. 

Rey seizes on the moment and scrambles to her feet, keeping in a low crouch, grabbing her staff and darting off to the side while the face off continues. She’s just reached the first step when they all move behind her.

The sound of electricity crashing against the lightsaber reverberates across the darkness and makes Rey’s teeth itch as she presses forward, not daring to look back or stop.

But a quarter of the way up the steps she comes to a breathless halt, it’s as if something compels her to. She gulps hard, trying to lubricate her bone-dry throat as she turns back to look at the fight raging beneath her.

She finds that three of the Knights are down in the mud, unmoving, and in a flash of lightening she can see one is missing their head, one is bent over at such an awkward angle, and the other is sliced in half. She gasps in horror, nausea swirling in her belly.

But her eyes track over to the man brandishing the lightsaber – to Kylo Ren. He fighting the two remaining Knights simultaneously, but his movements are slowing. He must be injured. 

Rey opens herself up to the Force, immediately finding the Dark Sider and the Bond that they’d somehow forged on Starkiller Base. A Bond that has lead her to somewhat understand the reasons why the man became what, and who he is.

She is overwhelmed by desperation, panic and unbidden anger – all coming from Kylo Ren as he dispatches one of the Knights by plunging his lightsaber through the Knights abdomen and then yanking it to the side, opening them up. Rey clasps a hand over her mouth as bile fills her throat at what she’s seeing.

But this leaves Kylo vulnerable and the Knight with the pike manages to plunge it into Kylo’s side. An agonized growl carries on the wind as Kylo stumbles, his head jerking round to look at the Knight.

The Knight raises the pike into air, fclearly intending to deliver the final blow but then they fall; their head now facing in a whole new direction. Rey jolts with surprise at the finality of the battle and the sight of Kylo Ren landing on his knees, head bowed, before crashing heavily on his side.

Their Bond falls quiet, but he’s still alive, she can still feel his presence at the back of her mind. Rey is left alone, standing there in a bone chilling and unnerving silence. A clap of thunder shocks her back to life, her breath coming out in almost frantic pants as she stares down at the bodies strewn across the mud.

Her eyes focus on Kylo Ren for a long moment, rain dripping down her face, before she spins on her heels and takes the next two steps. But then her feet falter to a stop and she looks back over her shoulder, at the downed Knights of Ren and their Master.

Rey takes a deep breath before turning completely and hurrying back down the steps. She steps over the body of a Knight, refusing to look on the gaping wound that has opened his side. Instead she focuses on Kylo Ren.

She crouches down next to him; her hand is shaking as she reaches out to touch his shoulder. She just about hears the faint sound of a moan through the modulator, and her heart clenches with a sense of relief and she lets out the breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding.

Rey lets go of her staff and moves her hands toward his unnerving helmet. Recalling her memory of watching him unmask for her in the interrogation room she finds the almost hidden clasps to release his mask. She pulls it off and tosses it aside, eyes taking in the deathly pale and sweaty face hidden beneath. 

A face the man she’d branded a monster has no right to have. Not with his strong and handsome features, his full pouting lips and overly expressive eyes. He has no right to resemble Han Solo or Leia Organa, not after what he’s done to them both. Yet he does. He possesses his Father’s roguish smirk and his Mother’s knowing eyes. 

‘You need to help me. You need to stand.’ Rey urges, leaning in a little to ensure he hears her words over the violent storm.

Kylo lets out what can only be described as a pathetic whimper and Rey huffs in annoyance. 

‘You need to stand.’ She repeats forcefully, shaking his shoulder and he groans, and his eyes slowly flutter open, unfocused and heavy lidded.

‘Come on Ren. Get up.’ Rey grits pulling at his arm, letting out her annoyance at the utterly bizarre situation.

Slowly he rises up onto his elbow, breathing hard through his nose and his jaw clenches in pain. But it’s enough for Rey to slide his arm around her shoulders, and together they gingerly get to their feet.

Rey has her staff in her other hand as she gradually walks them up the steps, every single one seeming like a gargantuan effort on his part.

Kylo doesn’t object as she skims over his mind to find that he’s more injured than she’d initially thought. Along with the wound to his side that she’d witnessed, it turns out that his Knights had landed a number of hits with their electrified weapons, sending electric currents through his skin and muscles, causing agonizing spasms and leaving behind sickening burns.

Thankfully the storm has relented by the time they reach the huts. Leaving the air crisp and fresh in the darkness as the clouds disappear to reveal the stars above.

‘Rey.’ Master Skywalker calls, as he steps out of the communal hut they use for dining and training. 

He comes to a instant stop as he takes in the sight of his nephew being held up by his Padawan. Kylo’s head lolls a little, but he looks up long enough to see his uncle’s stunned haggard face. It has been years since they last saw one another. Since Ben Solo took his first step to becoming Kylo Ren.

‘Rey, what are you doing?’ Luke stammers, his voice heavy with disbelief as he stares at his nephew.

‘He needs our help.’ She replies, pushing her shoulders back, straightening up in ready defiance.

‘No. We cannot help him. I cannot help him. He is lost to me.’ Luke shakes his head, before turning away from them.

‘He’s your nephew.’ Rey cries out and Kylo lets out a strangled breath, his weight becoming an even greater strain to Rey as she fights to hold him up.

Luke spins round to face her, a wild broken look in his eyes.

‘He stopped being my nephew the moment he turned to the Dark Side.’ Luke hisses through clenched teeth.

Rey is at a loss for a reply as Luke takes a step closer. His blue eyes are shining in the moonlight as he stares at her, and she can see hurt, anger and betrayal haunting them, but also unspent tears.

‘Only death awaits him now. Do not waste your time on him Rey. He doesn’t deserve it. Not after what he’s done.’ Luke spits, glaring at his nephew before turning away.

This time he doesn’t stop as he walks, disappearing into his hut, the door closing behind him. Leaving them alone.

Kylo’s knees buckle and Rey falls with him to her own as he lets out a pained whimper.

‘No. No. No.’ Rey stammers as he slumps to the floor, their Bond becoming deathly quiet.

o-o-o-o-o

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading :)
> 
> Please leave your thoughts in the comments :D 
> 
> I apologise for any errors/mistakes or any disjointedness - this is un beta'd
> 
> I own nothing - it's all Lucasfilm's and Disney's
> 
> Oh and chapter one was inspired by the wolf attack in Beauty and the Beast :)


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